Female Students in All Kerala Universities to Get Menstruation & Maternity Leaves

Kerala: The Kerala government on Thursday decided to permit menstruation leave for students in all universities operating under the Kerala Higher Education Department as part of its gender-sensitive educational reform.

The Higher Education Department has also decided to permit a maximum 60-day pregnancy leave for all female students above the age of 18.

The menstrual benefits were first introduced by the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT). CUSAT made the choice in response to a request from the university’s SFI-led students’ union.

As a result of the students’ long-standing request, the university approved an additional 2% every semester for female students to excuse their absences from class on January 11. As opposed to 75 per cent, a female college student with a 73% attendance rate, including menstruation leave, will be permitted to attend the exam.

According to the regulations, a college student must have a 75% attendance rate in order to attend the semester exam. Minister R. Bindu has now requested that institutions make amendments to the law to include menstruation leave and set the minimum threshold for female students’ attendance to 73%.

More than half of the 8,000 students enrolled in CUSAT, an independent institution, are female.